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The Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC) met today under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf

The Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC) met today under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf. The meeting was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister, the Ministers for Finance, Foreign Affairs, Defence Production and Information and Broadcasting, Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister on Interior, Chairman JCSC and the three Services Chiefs.

After the unfortunate incident of Salala, the DCC took the following decisions:

a. Asked for vacation of Shamsi Base.

b. Blocked the Ground Lines of Communication (GLOCs) through Pakistani territory to Afghanistan.

These decisions were dictated by Pakistan’s principled stance on the issue of sovereignty, which should be respected at all costs and in accordance with the United Nations Charter and international law.

The Foreign Minister briefed the Committee on recent discussions with senior US officials on the resetting of the Pakistan-US relationship in line with the Parliamentary recommendations.

The DCC stressed that it was in Pakistan’s interest to support the transition and the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan. To enable a smooth transition in Afghanistan, Pakistan should facilitate NATO/US/ISAF drawdown at a lower cost and through an efficient transit facility.

The DCC further noted that, in view of our larger objective of peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region and also our cooperative relations with the 50 member states of NATO/ISAF, Pakistan wanted to facilitate the transition process and help enable Afghanistan’s national institutions to exercise full sovereignty over their country.

The DCC reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the elimination of terrorism for the sake of a secure future for Pakistan. The DCC further reiterated Pakistan’s stance on drones and agreed to continue to engage the US on counter-terrorism cooperation and counter-terrorism tools that are in line with international law and practice.

The DCC stressed that, as recommended by the Parliament, Pakistan’s future relations with the US must be based on mutual respect and mutual interest and conducted in a transparent manner.

In light of the above, the DCC decided to reopen the Ground Lines of Communication through Pakistani territory to and from Afghanistan to facilitate the transition and the subsequent transformation process in that country. No lethal cargo will go into Afghanistan except equipment for Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), essential for ensuring peace and stability in Afghanistan. The DCC reconfirmed that Pakistan will continue not to charge any transit fee. This is to emphasize the point that the issue in the first place was not of financial gains but of the principle of sovereignty.

The DCC reaffirmed that it will continue to be guided by the recommendations of the Parliament in future as well.